Wauchope had the honour of being the first stop for the Transport NSW regional roadshow to determine future transport needs for communities.

The Future Transport Strategy aims to help NSW prepare for the big changes over the next 40 years. It will look at new approaches to delivering transport, through emerging technologies, new infrastructure and different business models.

“People will increasingly travel towards regional centres for work – in Wauchope’s case, this means Port Macquarie. This area will remain a popular tourist destination,” he said.

So far, nearly all passenger and freight trips are made by road – the Pacific Highway will remain a focus and strong freight movements along the coast will continue.

Mr Mason said the North Coast experiences road deaths above the state and regional NSW average and this needs to be addressed.

Eighty eight per cent of us travel to work by car, only three per cent use public transport, and eight per cent walk or cycle. Flexible transport, like ride-sharing, Uber and carpooling are becoming more common.

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) will likely be on our roads by around 2035. It’s possible that many of us won’t buy our own car. Instead, we might simply order a CAV that turns up at our home when we need it.